Beware the Bats
by Elementail71
Summary: When Bruce Wayne was young, his parents were murdered in front of him. He wanted vengeance. But he also wanted to stop the crime and evil that would lead to the deaths of other innocents like his parents. To do so, he became a vigilante whose name would come to strike fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere, the Batman. However, he was lonely. He lived a life that didn't allow
1. Chapter 1

Beware the Bats

Prologue

_ The air was cold on the dark evening and shadows danced eerily on the walls of the gloomy alley. The surrounding area was filled with dark corners perfect for concealing menacing figures, which earned the area its nickname of Crime Alley. The number of antagonistic persons that were typically found there, combined with the creepy and dangerous feel of the place caused most people to avoid it. But on that fateful night, a family of three dared to venture through it on their way home from the movies. Young Bruce Wayne laughed and ran through dark alley, with his parents following behind him, shaking their heads fondly at his antics. Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the shadows; blocking their path and pointing a gun at the Wayne family. Mr. Wayne stepped in front of his wife as she grabbed her son in an attempt to shield them from the danger. Mrs. Wayne pulled her son into her arms and covered his eyes. A gunshot rang out, followed by another, loud in the quiet Gotham night. When police arrived, they found a young boy sobbing over the bloodied corpses of his parents. After a long night of painful questioning, the family's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, came to pick up his young master. As the boy looked up at him, the man was struck by the hauntedness of his charge's eyes._

_ Time passed, and the haunted stare was replaced by the hard gaze of someone who had sworn revenge. The innocent child that Bruce once was turned into a boy desperately seeking retribution. The boy grew into a man, but his thirst for vengeance never abated. Bruce trained himself to become strong, and swore that he would destroy the corruption, crime, and evil that killed innocent people like his parents. In order to do this, he became a vigilante whose name would strike fear into the hearts of men and women everywhere- the Batman. But then, he met four little boys. Each one of these boys was as lost as he had been. So he took them under his wing, and began to train them. They became his pupils, his partners, and most importantly, his sons. This is their story._

* * *

><p><em>The brightly lit tent was full of people, talking and laughing energetically. In the front row of the audience, a certain Mr. Bruce Wayne sat waiting for the show to begin with his date of the evening, Vicki Vale. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a spotlight appeared in the center of the stage. "Welcome, one and all, to Haley's Circus. We have an exciting show in store for you tonight, and I'm sure that it will be completely unforgettable." With that, the man stepped out of the ring, and the show began.<em>

_ The audience sat, spellbound, as one mesmerizing act occurred after another. The night passed quickly, until it was finally time for the ringmaster to introduce the concluding act. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great joy that I present to you... The Fantastic Flying Graysons!"At his words, the spotlight shot upward to highlight a man dropping toward the ground. Suddenly, he grabbed a trapeze bar and swung up back towards the platform. He then swung back down, only to be joined by his wife. The audience sat rapt as the man and woman performed incredible feats of daring in the air. Then, a young boy about ten years of age jumped down from the platform. The audience gasped as the child swung up on the bar, let go, did a flip, and was caught by his mother. The family of three acrobats twisted and turned gracefully in the air, leaving the audience in a state of awe. As the boy reached the platform again, he heard an odd sound. He looked up to see the rope holding his parents break, and they plummeted toward the ground. Gunshots rang out, and ten year old Richard Grayson raced down to his mother's side as she lay bleeding in a heap on the floor next to her husband._

_ "NOOO! Mommy! Daddy! NO!" _

_ The audience raced around in a panic as the boy sobbed over the broken bodies of his parents. In the midst of the chaos, Bruce Wayne managed to find his way over to the scene, where he got his first good look at the boy. Bruce was struck by the look in the child's eyes, a look that reminded him of himself. The police arrived, and pulled the screaming boy away from the bloody scene. Plans were quickly made for the boy to be taken from the circus and put in Gotham City Orphanage until a suitable guardian could be found for the boy. Grayson was moved to the orphanage, and he was miserable. The other children picked on the small boy, and he missed her parents. Then one day, his fate charged. A man showed up at the orphanage._

_ "Hello Richard. My name is Bruce Wayne, and I would like to adopt you."_

* * *

><p><em> A young boy, all alone, ran down the dark streets of Gotham. He carefully examined the street to make sure that it really was empty, then darted toward a nearby car. He removed the tires from the car, and then dragged them into the shadows and began the trek to find someone who would buy them from him. He took the money and dashed home to get it to his mother, a woman by the name of Catherine Todd. She then took the money and used it to buy herself drugs. The lonely boy did this every night, trying desperately to get the money for drugs to care for his mother. His father, had been a petty criminal, and was now locked away in jail. The boy had to take care of his mother, because he would otherwise end up alone. However, it appeared that there was another fate in store for him. His mother soon died of an overdose, making the boy an orphan. He then took to the streets, continuing to scavenge car parts for a bit of cash. One night, as he was searching for car parts, he came across the Batmobile. The boy paused for a moment, then dashed over to the famed crime fighter's car. He quickly removed one tire, then dragged it away. He returned to get another, not noticing the dark shadow looming over him. After he removed the tire, he turned, and paused. Standing right in front of him was the Batman, cape, cowl and scowl. The vigilante stood in front of the boy with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Well?" The boy looked up at him, confused. "Who are you, and is there a reason that you are stealing my tires?" He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again and began to speak.<em>

_ "My name is Jason. Jason Todd, not that it's any of your business. Goodbye." Jason started to walk away. Batman just watched as the boy walked away, already making plans for the boy. The next day, a few police officers showed up and took the nine year old into their custody. He was sent to the Gotham Juvenile Detention center. The boy fought back as much as he could, but still ended up there. He lived there for a while, until one day, he had a visitor._

_ "Hello Jason. My name is Bruce, and I had a very important question for you. Do you want to get out of this place and come live with me?"_

* * *

><p><em> A small boy cowered in the back of a dark room. His father had just come home, and was drunk. That never ended well for Tim, so he hid in the closet, praying to whatever God there was that they wouldn't find him. Most of the time, Jack Drake would just ignore his son's existence, but after he had been drinking…that was another story. Janet Drake then appeared with another bottle of wine for her and her husband. Once the tall man was occupied by the tall glass of alcohol, Tim attempted to take the chance to escape from the room to find safety. However, he wasn't quite fast enough, and the movement caught the attention of the man. "TIMOTHY!" After that, everything faded to black.<em>

_The next morning, the boy regained consciousness on the floor of the kitchen. The boy was sore, and having trouble moving, but he managed to drag himself up the stairs to the bathroom. He collapsed against the door, then slid to the floor. He sat there for a minute, and then pulled himself up to get a look at himself. He had a black eye, and was covered in bruises. He reached a tentative hand up to his eye and winced. Tim then opened the door, and moved to his room as quickly and quietly as he could. The small boy crawled into is bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep. When he awoke, it was dark outside, and the house was silent. He stood, and limped downstairs, checking cautiously for Jack and Janet. He checked the whole house, but they were nowhere to be found. There was no note, no food left for him, no money, no explanation, nothing. He curled up on the couch and fell asleep, trying to enjoy the peace and safety as long as he could. He had no idea how long he stayed there, but he didn't move. Finally, he was awakened one morning by the sound of fists pounding on the front door. The boy jumped up and hid under the dining room table as the door was bashed in. Three police officers came running into the room. They seemed to be looking for something…or someone. One of them walked into the dining room. As he walked in, he knocked over a glass from the table, and it crashed onto the floor right next to Tim, causing him to let out an involuntary noise. The officer turned and looked under the table. He reached toward Tim, who shied away and tried to run out of the room. As he tried to leave, he crashed into one of the other officers, a nice-looking lady. She grabbed him, and the officers took him down to the station. They asked him questions, trying to determine his parents' location. After they decided that the six year old had no knowledge of where the two had disappeared to, he was sent to the orphanage, where he was ignored by the children and teachers, except for when they were bullying them. Tim sat there silently through their cruelty just as he always had, until one day, the matron with the false smile brought in a tall man with a big smile and black hair. "Timothy, this is Mr. Wayne. He has been nice enough to make arrangements for you to come live with him." She then walked off, leaving the silent boy with the tall man. As soon as she was gone, the man turned toward Tim._

_ "Thank goodness she's gone. She was getting on my nerves with that fake smile. But that's beside the point. I would love it if you wanted to come live with me. I have two other boys, and they like it at my house, so I think you would like it too. I promise that I won't hurt you, and I will take care of you. But if you don't want to come, that's fine too." Tim stayed silent and looked down at his feet. The man's smile fell. "Alright. Well, it was nice to meet you." Then man turned and slowly walked toward the door. All of the sudden, Tim scrambled out of his seat and dashed after the man, who turned to the boy with a huge smile. "Well then, if you're sure you want to come…" Tim nodded. "Alright then! Let's go home."_

* * *

><p><em> It was one in the morning, and the Gotham sky was already pitch black. A young boy padded silently after his mother as she walked through the trees. As they neared the edge of the forest, the trees suddenly disappeared, leaving the five year old with a view of the full moon shedding its light on a huge mansion. Neither mother nor child spoke a word, but she urged the boy toward the house. He walked up to the front door, paused, and turned, but there was no one there. His mother was gone. He had no choice. He rang the bell, and waited, but no one came. The lonely child laid down on the step, clutching a note in his hand. The next morning, a properly dressed man with white hair came to the door. 'Oh my,' he thought. "MASTER BRUCE!" A man with black hair came racing down the stairs. The white haired man gestured to the sleeping boy. <em>

"_What is it, Alfred?" Then the man's eyes widened. The boy sat up and gave the man a note. _

_ "My name is Damian Wayne, and I am your son."_


	2. Chapter 2

"_My name is Damian Wayne, and I am your son." _

Those where the words spoken by the young boy who was now sitting at the table in front of him. Bruce stood in front of him, re-reading the note that he had been given.

_Bruce,_

_This boy is my son, Damian Wayne. He is five years old, and has been living with me and Father for this whole time. I am no longer able to take care of him, for I have more important business to attend to. Therefore, I have decided to leave him in your hands. You have enough money- therefore, you need not complain about the expense, and there is no other good argument that you could make. Thus, he will be staying with you. I did not want him much anyway. Damian knows by now not to make trouble, so he shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, I never cared much for him anyway, so I care not what you do with him. He is in your hands now, and I wish you the best of luck._

_Talia_

Bruce groaned- leave it to Talia to abandon a kid on his doorstep with no explanation. And what was he supposed to do with the kid? The boy- Damian- was sitting at the table with his arms folded across his chest glaring at him. The kid looked like he wanted to commit a murder. Bruce was so lost in thought that he took no notice of Alfred trying to get attention.

"…Bruce. Master Bruce."

"Huh-what?" Bruce startled and looked up at his butler.

"I asked what you wanted to do."

"Ummm…" Alfred shook his head.

"Alright then. You said that your name was Damian?" The boy nodded once in confirmation. "Very well then. Master Damian, if you would please follow me, I will show you to your room." With that, the butler walked out of the room without checking to see if the boy was following. Damian scrambled out of his seat and raced after the elderly man.

* * *

><p>"If you do not mind my asking, who might you be?"<p>

"I am Alfred Pennyworth, butler to the Wayne family." The man pointed out several rooms as they walked past them. "This is Master Dick's room. This is Master Jason's, and that is Master Tim's, which is right across the hall from yours. That room down at the end of the hall is Master Bruce's room." The boy stopped in front of the section of rooms.

"I beg your pardon?" Alfred turned to look at the boy. "Who are these other people?"

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know them yet. Masters Dick, Jason, and Tim are the other boys that live in the manor. Master Bruce has taken them in just as he did you, although the three of them were not blood relations."

"So there are three other weaklings living here and leeching off of Father? "

"Excuse me?" inquired the butler.

"There are three random commoners that he took off the streets living here, taking advantage of his home and his money? And Father lets them? How disgraceful for the one known as Batman." The butler looked at him in shock, completely forgetting the insults for a moment. "Yes Pennyworth, I know who my father is. It would be a disgrace if I did not." Alfred was at a loss for words, so he opened the door to Damian's bedroom, and went off to confer with Bruce.

* * *

><p>"Master Bruce, and you aware that the boy knows your identity?" Bruce looked up at the sudden entrance of his butler.<p>

"He does?"

"Yes. And I should also mention that he seemed quite surprised and strangely annoyed at the mention of your _other_ adolescent house mates. "

"Speaking of them, isn't it time to pick up the boys from school?"

"Yes Master Bruce. I will go get them."

"Good. And please warn them that I have someone for them to meet."

"Of course Master Bruce."

"Thank you Alfred." With that, the butler left the room and headed toward the garage. Bruce watching him walk away, then pushed himself out from under his desk. He stood and slowly made his way toward Damian's new bedroom.

* * *

><p>"Knock knock." Damian looked up to see Bruce standing in the doorway. "Can I come in?" The boy acknowledged him with a nod. Bruce crossed the room and sat at the foot of the bed. "Alright, so you must have some questions for me." The boy nodded again.<p>

"Pennyworth mentioned that there other people living here as well?"

"Yep. Richard, Jason, and Timothy. Alfred is getting them from school now, so you'll be able to meet them in a little while. In fact, why don't I give you a tour of the rest of the mansion while we wait? The boys should be home not long after that, so you can meet them then. Sound good to you?" The boy stood up in response. "Great. Let's go." They walked into the hallway. "Alright, so across from you is Tim, three rooms down from him is Dick, and Jason has the room across the hall and two more down from him. At the very end of the hallway is my room. If you need it, the door is always open. The bathroom is two doors up from you on the opposite side. That bathroom is shared between the four of you, but it's fairly large, so space shouldn't be a problem. Alfred's room is the one to the right of the stairs over here." They walked down the stairs. "My study is down that hallway to the left, and the kitchen and dining room are over to the right. This is the living room, and the front door is this way, which is where the boys should soon be coming from." As soon as Bruce uttered the words, the sound of laughter and slamming car doors could be heard, and the front door burst open. Three boys came running. "Perfect timing. I have someone I want you to meet. Boys, this is Damian, my son, and your new brother." Bruce stepped back to allow the boys to examine each other. The tallest of the three stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you Damian. I'm Richard, but I go by Dick. I'm the oldest, and I'm fourteen. This little one clinging to my leg is Timmy, and he's eight. The grumpy one is Jay, and he's twelve. I'm so glad that I'm gonna have another little brother! We'll have so much fun! We can play games, and watch movies, and bake cookies, and…" He stopped, trying to catch his breath. Bruce laughed.

"As you can probably tell, Dick is quite happy, and rather…energetic."

"He's way too damn perky, is what Bruce means. I'm Jason. If you call me Jay, I'll punch you, and if you touch my video games, you're dead."

"Jason Todd! Watch your language mister!"

"Whatever." Jason wandered off. Bruce sighed.

"Honestly, that boy… Anyway, you've met Dick and Jason, and this little guy is Tim."

"By Tim, do you mean the growth on Grayson's leg?" Damian examined the small creature.

"Yeah…Tim is quite shy. He also doesn't talk. At all. And he only really likes me, Bruce, and Alfred. Sometimes Jason too, when he isn't being a royal pain." Dick paused for a minute, and then wrapped his arms around Damian in a bear hug. "But either way, welcome to the family!" Damian didn't respond, mostly because he was turning slightly blue from the lack of oxygen.

'_So this is my new home…I suppose it won't be so bad. Besides, if Grayson continues to squeeze me like this, I probably won't be here long.' _


	3. Chapter 3

"All right. What is going on here?!" Bruce stared menacingly down at the four boys and took in the scene before him. They were drenched in mud, paint, and filth. There were tracks of dirt coating the floor. The couch was caked in mud. A vase lay shattered on the floor in front of mantel where it had fallen. A lamp lay toppled over the desk. There was an array of paint splatters on the rug. The four boys turned to look at each other guiltily, then looked back towards Bruce and started shouting.

"Todd started it!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"It's Damian's fault!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"I'm innocent, I swear!"

"Boys! That's ENOUGH!" The boys stopped arguing and turned to look at Bruce. "Richard…What is going on here?"

"I don't really know… I had been out with Babs, and when I got back, the boys were making a mess. Then I took Tim out for ice cream, and I have no idea what happened…"

"I was not! I was only attempting to destroy Todd! I had no part in this mess!"

"That is so not true! It's your fault that everything is a mess!"

"No it is not!"

"Boys! ENOUGH!" They quieted down again. "Good. Now, why don't you boys explain what happened."

"There was a dog-"

"Glue-"

"Trying to get back at him-"

"Quiet!" Everyone shut up and turned to Alfred, who had just entered the room. "Good, now why don't we try this again, one at a time, from the beginning?" Everyone turned to look at Jason and Damian.

"I know not of why you are looking at me. I had no part in any of this-"

"Just start explaining already," growled Jason.

"Very well. It all began this morning…"

_Inside a bedroom, a small boy with dark hair lay in the middle of his bed, curled up with his pet cats. They were all resting in harmony, until a loud pounding on the door interrupted their peace. "Damian! Wake up!" The boy startled awake and bolted upright in bed. He opened the door and stumbled into the hallway._

_ "What are you blathering on about Todd? Is it not too early for you to be spewing your usual nonsense?" asked Damian sleepily._

_ "Not today, shortie. Because, guess what? I'm in charge." _

"I fail to see what any of this has to do with the damage to my living room."

"Just wait, Father. I am getting to that. Anyway, as I was saying, Todd had informed me that he was in charge…"

_"So, it's just the two of us today. Alfred is out at the store and Bruce took Tim to work. Dick was supposed to be in charge, but he bailed so that he could go hang out with his girlfriend. And that means that I'm stuck babysitting you."_

_ "Trust me-this situation is not pleasant for me either."_

_ "But the good news is that I have an idea for how we can get back at Dick for leaving the two of us here." He smiled wickedly._

_ "Revenge? I suppose that I could participate in that…"_

"Wait a second- this whole thing started as a way to get back at me?"

"Yes Grayson, keep up. As I was saying, Todd and I were plotting our revenge on Grayson for leaving the two of us together…"

_"Alright, when Dick opens the door, he'll trigger the trip wire, which will make the bucket of paint fall down on him."_

_ "And we will be standing there waiting to get a picture," said Damian gleefully. "That will teach him not to leave me with you." Just then, Jason's phone pinged with a message from Dick._

_ "Alright, he's on his way home. Let's do this!"_

"Wait- you were going to do that to me?!"

"Yeah. Geez, Dick. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"But why?"

"Hello! You stuck me with that twerp!"

"And you left me with that loathsome creature! Honestly Grayson, have you not realized that we despise each other?"

"…"

_The two boys stood crouched behind the couch, waiting for their victim to arrive. They heard the sound of a car pulling up, and listened as footsteps approached the door. Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them. "Hey, what's going on?" The boys jumped._

_ "Dick, what are you doing here?"_

_ "Didn't you get my text? I got a message from Bruce to get Tim, so I brought him home. I came in through the window in the back because I forgot my keys."_

_ "Wait, if you're in here, then where's Tim?"_

_ "…"_

_ Suddenly, the door started to open, and the figure of Tim emerged. _

_ "NO!" shouted Jason and Damian. Dick quickly glanced up and seemed to realize what was happening. The three boys jumped up and raced to push Tim out of the way. All four ended up in a pile on the floor, thankfully, not soaked in paint. They all lay together for a minute, catching their breath, and then Dick stood._

_ "Alright, I have no idea what you two were trying to pull, but I am going to take Tim out to get ice cream, and when I get back, you two better be cleaning this up, or I'm telling Bruce." And with that, he collected the quiet little boy and went to the garage._

_ The two remaining boys stood watching them leave, then went to collect the cleaning supplies with a sign. The two had just gotten started when they heard a strange scratching sound from upstairs. Jason walked down a hallway. Damian continued cleaning for a minute, then ran to his room as soon as Jason was out of sight. _

_ When Jason got to the end of the hallway, he noticed an open window by Bruce's office. He closed it, but he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the trail of muddy footprints leading away from the window. Meanwhile, Damian was walking down the hall when he tripped. As he shook his head and stood up, he thought he saw a black blur racing down the hallway. However, he was quite absorbed in his thoughts, so he failed to pay attention to that or the muddy footprints leading down the hall. Just as he had started down the hall again, he heard a voice calling for him from downstairs._

_ "Damian! Get your butt down here!"_

_ Damian sighed- it appeared that that insufferable Todd has discovered that he was missing._

_ "Coming!" he sighed, and slowly proceeded down the stairs._

_ The two had just begun cleaning again when they heard a strange shrieking from upstairs. It sounded like… _

_ "MY CATS!" screamed Damian. He raced up the stairs, with Jason half a step behind him. As the boys dashed toward Damian's room, a small brown ball of fur shot past them; a black streak hot on its tail. As Damian and Jason turned to see what it was, they tripped over each other, collapsing in a pile on the floor, only to see the streaks for what they were. Damian's precious cat Ajax was being chased by a big black dog with his fur caked with mud. _

_ "Ajax!" Damian scrambled to his feet and raced after his beloved furry friend. Jason sat stunned for a few seconds, and then began chasing the dog. The cat dashed toward the door with the dog hot on his heels. At that moment, Tim opened the door, causing the cat and dog to swerve and run through the foyer. Ajax jumped over the bucket of paint, but caught his paw on it as he went, soaking himself and the dog in paint. The paint-soaked animals scrambled through the living room, climbing over furniture as they went. The boys went chasing after the cat, with Jason pausing only who give a what-can-you-do glance at Dick, who had appeared in the doorway behind Tim. _

_ "Alright, so you're telling me that a strange dog invaded my house, and none of you thought to, I don't know, CALL ME?!"_

_ "Well when you say it like that…"_

_ The four boys raced around the house, attempting to catch the animals that were wreaking havoc across the house. They chased the animals down the stairs. Finally, Dick jumped and caught the dog by its legs, while Damian picked up his kitten and cuddled him. By that point, the living room had been wrecked, and the boys were as covered in paint and mud as the animals. They took the dog upstairs and locked him in Bruce's bedroom. Then, the door opened, and Bruce walked in._

_ "All right. What is going on here?!" _

"And as they say, the rest is history."

Bruce stood there with his arms crossed staring down at them. "Well then. I suppose that as long as you clean up the mess in here, everything is okay." Then, he walked upstairs.

"Alright, let's get to work." The four boys started cleaning. Just then, Bruce's voice rang out from up the stairs.

"BOYS!"

The boys turned to look at each other. '_Uh oh…'_


End file.
